Thunder. Thunder. ThunderCats. Noooooooo

by Christopher Scott

*Aggravated Sigh*

Apparently Cartoon Network has been digging through its vault of underutilized properties again, and this time they’ve gone too far. With the announcement of their latest show, ThunderCats Roar, I felt the need to give my 2 cents after a nearly 5-year hiatus on this webpage. Yes, it’s that serious.

To give you some backstory, my name is Chris Scott and I am a former contributor on TheTalkingBox who used to cover animated shows including The Invincible Iron Man, The Awesomes, and ThunderCats (2011) which was probably my main staple. Through the good and the bad, I provided updates and synopses along with my own opinion during the one-year revival of the series. The show was not perfect (not really even close), but it gave us brief glimpses of greatness and ultimately did a decent job in filling the shoes of its inspiration.

Yesterday, however, Cartoon Network teased a new show in development using the ThunderCats license which reminds us that Cartoon Network is creatively bankrupt in 2018. According to the wildly misleading press release, “Staying true to the premise of the original series, Lion-O and the ThunderCats — Tygra, Panthro, Cheetara, Wilykat, and Wilykit — barely escape the sudden destruction of their home world, Thundera, only to crash land on the mysterious and exotic planet of Third Earth. Lion-O, the newly appointed Lord of the ThunderCats, attempts to lead the team as they make this planet their new home. A bizarre host of creatures and villains stand in their way, including the evil Mumm-Ra, Third Earth’s wicked ruler who will let nothing, including the ThunderCats, stop his tyrannical reign over the planet.” Cartoon Network, how dare you use such a vague and nostalgic description of this new series to obfuscate what is really going on here?

Cartoon Network / Entertainment Weekly 

By taking a moment to look at the official keyart for the series, depicting a chibi art style and goofy expressions, it is painfully clear that this is merely a shadow of what ThunderCats has always stood for in the hearts and minds of its audience. This is more like if the entire cast of the show was replaced by various incarnations of Snarf. To further envision the style of the show, it is being created by producer/cartoonist, Victor Coutright (Mighty Magiswords, Pickle and Peanut, and OK K.O.! Let’s Be Heroes). With only a brief introduction to his former works, it is clear that this show is an attempt to join other reviled shows on the Network such as Teen Titans GO! and Unikitty! Additionally, there is an official teaser out there, but it is just too infuriating to give a link here. Just go to YouTube and search ThunderCats Roar, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Now, for those of you who believe I might be a 30-something millennial who is blinded by nostalgia glasses and who can’t just let kids enjoy the shows they like, I completely understand your point of view. I constantly struggle to keep nostalgia in check and I would be lying if I said I didn’t fail from time to time. That being said, there is a place for action-oriented, exciting, and story-driven animation in today’s market. There is a reason Japanese animation is being picked up by Netflix, Amazon, and other streaming networks. Shows like Gravity Falls, DuckTales, and Star Vs. The Forces of Evil are all performing very well in the space, offering variety in stories and adventure that comedic shows simply cannot. And just think about it from your own childhood. For every Reboot, Thundercats, and Batman The Animated Series that are cemented in our memories, there were dozens of Samurai Pizza Cats, Eek The Cat, Mega Babies cartoons that barely remain in our subconscious. And if Cartoon Network simply must create another humor-driven cartoon to add to their already overloaded lineup, why must it be done using the ThunderCats reputation? There is still outcry to this day over their misuse of the Teen Titans license for Teen Titans Go! I am just not sure it is necessary in this case seeing as how the license doesn’t really resonate with today’s children, but will absolutely infuriate those who loved the original series.

Perhaps I am wrong. Perhaps I am in the minority here. Let me know in the comments below! Would you rather see the ThunderCats return in this incarnation? Or would you prefer they come up with some new license and keep the original spirit of the show untouched? I’d love to hear your feedback!

Something New: Discovery Life Channel

Do you know what happens next Thursday? Discovery Fit & Health will become Discovery Life Channel (DLC) to the 47 million households getting the network! Programming is designed to look at ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances, and it will explore the full landscape of human emotions, with triumphs, troubles, and transformations.

In the 8 o'clock hour each night, we'll see Medical Mysteries, followed by Trauma Drama, followed by Medical Incredible. Other series planned to air include such titles as Tales from the Maternity Ward, Married to the ER, I Saved Myself, Medical Detectives, Mystery Diagnosis, Untold Stories of the ER, Families on the Brink, and Ripped Kids. I'm a bit skeptical about that last one, but a few of the others seem like they'd do well with the target crowd: adults 25-34, particularly women.

Re-branding channels is nothing new (Discovery just made The Military Channel into American Heroes Channel last year), but you always have to wonder what sort of research goes into figuring out whether it's a good idea or not. American Heroes allowed Military Channel to branch out into series like Gunslingers, and feature Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday as characters, even though they're not military folks, but the switch from "Fit & Health" to "Life" seems a little more nuanced.

2014 Comic-Con: Thursday's TV Panels

So, we had initially planned our Thursday TV panels to start in the Indigo Ballroom, but when the line for Ballroom 20 was super-short at 8am, we headed into that instead. So, rather than see Betty White and the USA Dig panel, we were treated to 24 with Kiefer Sutherland, Under the Dome with a good chunk of the cast, and a screening of CBS's new drama, Scorpion. Not sticking around for Reign, we headed out and about to do all sorts of fun Comic-Con things before hitting an evening panel on the Psychology of Cult TV Shows. Included below are some highlights from these four events - look for more in-depth articles in the future. And, be sure to follow us on SmugMug, on Twitter or on Facebook for the latest throughout Comic-Con!

24, with Kiefer Sutherland and Jon Cassar.
- filming in London was very different. Sutherland talked about how many rules there are when it came to having weapons on the set, but onlookers were permitted to crowd outside the scenes and watch filming! At one point, 2,000 people watched a scene, then crossed the street for the next one!
- Sutherland wrote the backstory for Jack to become more aggressive and have less to fight for... so he didn't have to cover up his tattoos anymore.
- Sutherland likes Boardwalk Empire and Ray Donovan.
- Sutherland once jumped out of a car to help an elderly woman being mugged in Los Angeles. But, being Jack Bauer didn't work out... he interrupted a student film! 
- If Sutherland was cosplaying, he'd be a stormtrooper.
- He and his father never talk about work, even though they just made a movie together!

photo: Jonathan Bredemeyer

Under the Dome, with Mike Vogel, Dean Norris, Rachelle LeFevre, Alexander Koch, Colin Ford, Eddie P. Cahill (not Mackenzie Lintz), and Neal Baer.
- They just finished filming the season six days ago.
- 16 characters died in the first season. The second won't be quite as high, but once they start to fall, they'll fall fast! But, they can still make appearances, as ghosts and the like.
- It was hinted at that maybe a character will break out of the dome this season... and as Barbie appears to fall into a deep cave at some point in the near future, maybe it's him!
- Speaking of Barbie, his backstory is coming - we'll both meet his father AND learn that he turned away from life as a trust-fund baby!
- A fan asked each of the panel members to state who they would choose to have with them if they had to live under a dome. Vogel chose Chuck Norris, Norris chose Britney Spears, LeFevre chose Clive Owen, Koch said Dean Norris, Ford said his best friend, and Cahill said his wife.
- Viewers WILL find out what was in Melanie's locker when Angie died. 

photo: Jonathan Bredemeyer

Scorpion, with Walter O'Brien, Elyes Gabel, Robert Patrick, Katharine McPhee, Nick Santora, Nicholas Wooten, Alex Kurtzman, Robert Orci, and Justin Lin.
* we will be reviewing the pilot in a future post.
- Walt may have a nemesis in the show, but the real O'Brien no longer does.
- McPhee talks about filming a tough scene by explaining that the car wasn't moving at all but they had to pretend there were high speeds, traffic, etc.

photo: Jonathan Bredemeyer

The Psychology of Cult TV Shows, with Janina Scarlet, Travis Langley, Ali Mattu, and Billy San Juan.
- TV shows can be educational and healing in ways folks don't normally think about. We learn messages like persistence along with the characters.
- The representation of war on TV makes audiences more compassionate and knowledgeable.
- When two people share a fandom (like a television show), they can become fast friends.

** find more pictures of these panels, plus others, the exhibit floor, and off-site events at our SmugMug site!

2014 Comic-Con: The Bag Designs!

San Diego Comic-Con begins in less than a week, and today Warner Bros. has released the bag designs. There will be 13 different looks this time, and a bag will be randomly given to attendees when they pick up their badges at registration. They are again designed like backpacks, but will not feature the "cape" addition that was popular at the 2013 convention.

All bags will have an image of the San Diego Convention Center on one side:

But the other sides will vary from popular live-action shows Arrow, The Following, The Originals, Supernatural (which I forget is still around), and The Vampire Diaries...

         

to animated series Teen Titans Go!...

to upcoming programs Constantine, The Flash, Mike Tyson Mysteries, iZombie, and Gotham...

and even a few to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Batman. 

Many Con goers trade bags to get the one they want, and you ca also donate blood during the Convention to get an extra bag. Which are you hoping to snag as your premiere souvenir from this year's event?

Summer 2014 TCA: Reelz's Living with the Jacksons

Now that Michael Jackson's death is five years behind us, the family is finally able to live outside of the "Jackson Bubble," and has invited cameras inside of their home for a six-episode limited series event, Living with the Jacksons, to premiere on Reelz this fall.

Reelz

The series focuses on Alejandra's family, which can be a little confusing... her children are Genevieve and Randy Jr. by Randy Jackson, and Jaafar and Jermajesty by Jermaine Jackson, plus Donte, who was originally adopted by Joe and Katherine Jackson. All were present at the panel today, and did not openly admit to having any issues with their cousins being their half-siblings, or an uncle acting as a father figure. They all live together, and collaboratively afford their house outside of the sheltered Jackson Family Estate, though they still get together with their cousins at least every weekend... and there are 29 family members in the generation!

Family has long been important to the Jackson clan, and Genevieve, Randy Jr., and Jaafar all have memories of playing with the Uncle Michael at the Neverland Ranch - riding the attractions, eating candy, and even tossing water balloons at one another. Alejandra recalls Michael as "tender and child-like," and his presence causing "the whole house [to] come alive," as "he was just such a wonderful person."

Although they find nothing unusual about their own family makeup, they do have a lot of trust issues of the outside world, due to growing up in a fishbowl of sorts. Randy Jr., 21 years old, sometimes introduces himself with a different surname to avoid having people judge him on his family history. Each member of the family hopes to make their own individual marks in the world, so tune in to find out more about their interests and what their lives are really like.

Watch Living with the Jacksons on Reelz beginning November 18th at 8pm ET/PT. Reelz can be found on 238 DirecTV, 299 DISH, 233 FiOS, and 799/1799 U-Verse, plus other carriers.

Summer 2014 TCA: Starz's The Chair

Starz is embarking upon a new type of competitive documentary series with The Chair, an original filmmaking experiment that was first announced in April. The idea is that two first-time feature filmmakers will receive the same screenplay (a coming-of-age story which was originally sold to MTV, who unfortunately closed their movie department), location (four weeks of shooting in Pittsburgh), and budget ($940,000 each, of which $600,000 is discretionary for the directors), and the series will document how each approaches the project, from creation to marketing to reception of a feature-length movie.

The movies are due August 1st, and both directors (Shane Dawson and Anna Martemucci, who had not met before today) report finishing sound and color at this point. There will be a limited theatrical release of the "R-rated or less" films (Dawson's Not Cool and Martemucci's Hollidaysburg) the first week of September before show premieres, and both will later air on Starz. Voting will be done across multiple platforms (beginning episode eight), and the audience determines who wins $250,000.

That's where things get tricky. Dawson's background is in YouTube comedy while Martemucci does independent films, as a writer, director, and filmmaker, so he has a significantly larger online following. On the other hand, Martemucci's formal education may trump his learn-as-you-go YouTube channels. Fortunately, both will receive mentorship from Zachary Quinto, Chris Moore, and Josh Shader (the script's original producer), so comparing how each approaches every step of the process should prove particularly interesting to anyone in a similar field.

Tune in for The Chair on Starz, where the first of ten episodes will air Saturday, September 6th, at 10pm ET/PT. Starz can be found DirecTV 527/528, DISH 350/351, FiOS 340/855, U-Verse 902/903, Xfinity 534, and on other carriers.

Summer 2014 TCA: MTV's Virgin Territory

Today's society has a preoccupation with sex. It's no surprise, and is becoming less and less taboo every year. Recently, there has been a focus on the public's interest in virgins specifically, with specials on couples waiting to kiss until marriage, middle-aged virgins, and reality dating shows following those wishing to abstain in an age where many are in bed at the conclusion of the third date. (remember Virgin Diaries on TLC in 2011?) Well, this docuseries will follow 15 young adults from different areas of the country who remain virgins for various reasons.

The young adults featured in the panel were 21-23 years of age, and, in the US, the average person loses their virginity at 17 years old, with 90% of 24-year-olds being sexually experienced. Now, MTV did not go by a set definition of "virgin" in casting this program, so we should see very different experiences depicted, as well as reasons for those circumstances. For instance, Dominique's faith factors into her decision to wait (young motherhood was another factor), and it was practically THE deciding factor for Lisa. On the other hand, Alec hasn't had sex because he hasn't been public with his sexuality, and is anxiously anticipating reaching the milestone.

Though the topic might not be the easiest to watch, MTV maintains its stance that it's important to keep its younger audience informed about sex. After all, according to a January 2014 survey conducted of 18-24-year-olds on behalf of The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy:

• 86% "wish popular media like movies and TV shows portrayed virginity in a more realistic way" 

• 74% "wish popular media like movies and TV shows did a better job of exploring why people are virgins." 

• Only 69% of say it's socially acceptable for someone their age to be a virgin.

• Among young adults who have not yet had sex, 37% say they are waiting for marriage, 26% are waiting until they fall in love, and 20% say they haven't because of the risk of pregnancy.

Watch Virgin Territory premiering Wednesday, July 16th, at 11pm ET/PT... just after the new season of Teen Mom 2. MTV is found on DirecTV 331, DISH 160/1333, FiOS 210/710, U-Verse 502/1502, and other carriers.

Summer 2014 TCA: MTV's Happyland

I know some people would be happy working at a dream company in any capacity - my sister is one of those people. For many, Walt Disney World is that company, even though it's been said that many clinically depressed people work at "the happiest place on Earth." It's a strange juxtaposition, and something I admittedly don't have a lot of knowledge about, which is part of the draw to MTV's new dramedy, Happyland.

MTV

Elena works (as a princess) at one of the country's most popular theme parks, but her teenage daughter, Lucy, is cynical about manufactured happiness and wants to break outside the bubble. However, love gets in the way when the park's owner's son sweeps her off her feet... only to have her come crashing down (really, really hard!) as she begins to learn that Happyland should not be a book judged by its cover.

There's a big twist that may have some viewers running away (it's a taboo topic, really), but the EPs claim that they're playing with soap opera tropes, so twists may not last when something different happens. But, if you can get past that, there could be some interesting theme park stuff going on... after all, it was filmed partially at Magic Mountain, and one of the cast members, Cameron Moulene (who plays Will), actually worked at Universal Studios when he was sixteen (as a line manager on Shrek 4-D). On the flip side, Shane Harper (Ian) is terrified of rides, yet has to film on rollercoasters.

Watch for Happyland on MTV premiering Tuesday, September 30th at 11pm ET/PT. If it's been a while since you tuned into the once-huge music network, look for it on DirecTV 331, DISH 160/1333, FiOS 210/710, U-Verse 502/1502, and other carriers.

Summer 2014 TCA: HBO's Foo Fighters: Sonic Highways

Did you know Foo Fighters has been around for 20 years? I hadn't, until I realized that I saw them in concert 13 years ago, and they had been around for a while. At this point, the band has racked up eleven Grammys and sold 25M+ albums, so Dave Grohl really wanted to do something different with their upcoming eighth album (which will have more than eight songs), scheduled for a November release. Only Grohl was present at the panel, though current band members also include Taylor Hawkins, Nate Mendel, Chris Shiflett, and Pat Smear.

Kevin Winter/Getty Images

This resulted in an eight-part documentary premiering in October, where each hour-long installment will take place in a different American city and include a live recording of a different song. In doing so, Grohl is hoping to depict "the heart and soul of America's musical identity." The history and anthropology of each location (Austin, Chicago, Los Angeles, Nashville, New Orleans, New York, Seattle, Washington, DC) will be told by local legends such as Dolly Parton, Carrie Underwood, and Trombone Shorty, and current musical currents will also be explored.

Here's what's most interesting about the project, though: although they already had the instrumentals, Grohl waited to write the lyrics for each city's song until the last day of each session so that he was able to be inspired by "the experiences, interviews for the HBO series, and other local personalities who became part of the process."

Watch for Foo Fighters: Sonic Highways to debut in October on HBO. 

Summer 2014 TCA: Cinemax's The Knick

After the obligatory HBO Executive Session, Cinemax paneled The Knick, which will debut in less than a month and run ten episodes on Friday nights. The title comes from the setting of the drama, Knickerbocker Hospital in Lower Manhattan. The series films in Brooklyn and Manhattan, as well as a soundstage, and a second season has already been ordered. 

It's set in 1900, when medicine is still tricky business. There are high mortality rates (Lower Manhattan tenement buildings have deplorable living conditions!), no antibiotics, and ground is constantly breaking with new methodologies (like x-rays). Clive Owen plays Dr. John W. Thackery, whose addiction to cocaine and opium are just as famous as his medical discoveries. Another hot topic the characters will interact with is racism, as Dr. Algernon Edwards (played by Andre Holland) is a gifted black doctor with a Harvard education, but he stands out amongst the otherwise all-white hospital staff. By the way, other members of the staff include a greedy administrator, a naive young nurse, and a nun with a past. Throw in some corruption via an ambulance driver and a health department inspector, and there's a wide variety of issues that may arise!

Andre Holland, Michael Angarano, Clive Owen, Louis Butelli, Eve Hewson, Eric Johnson

Speaking of which, early storylines include staff shake-ups, disease outbreaks, and experimental procedures. Fortunately, historical accuracy is being taken very seriously, with co-creators Jack Amiel and Michael Begler both speaking on working with a medical consultant and archivist to research the surgeries depicted, as well as the fact that they spent 4-5 months reading before outlining and writing the episodes. This really allowed them to gain a strong respect for technology of the time, and Amiel pointed out that "doctors were the new pioneers and the new heroes of America," which I think might just sum up why you should tune into this one.

Watch The Knick starting Friday, August 8th at 10pm ET/PT on Cinemax.

Summer 2014 TCA: TruTV's Friends of the People

Although Friends of the People was green-lit on TruTV back in March for a ten-episode season, it didn't catch my eye until this morning's presentation. On hand were seven talented members of the cast, including Kenny & Keith Lucas, recently seen as the twins on 22 Jump Street.

JEREMY FREEMAN

Perhaps the most intriguing fact about the group is that they brought the idea of working together to their manager, who made it happen and now they'll be paid to do what they're going to do anyway. Plus, the cast are also all writers and executive producers on the series.

Filmed in and around New York City, the idea is to have a different perspective for pop culture-based sketch comedy. They will have recurring characters that they play, similar to Saturday Night Live. And, yes, we know it's on your mind - there is a similarity to In Living Color, with several of the folks on this series part of the reboot (that never made it to air), and others influenced by the groundbreaking comedy as well.

We were treated to a clip that I found downright hilarious, but I don't want to give it away. In a nutshell, the cast acted as a writers' room for an 80s/90s family comedy during a bobbing first season, then reflected upon the extreme popularity of the break-out character. It was simple, but I had never thought about it that way, and I loved it. If that's any representation of the sketch comedy to be found, I think this show very well could be the next In Living Color or SNL. 

Watch for Friends of the People coming this fall - it premieres Tuesday, October 28th at 10:30pm on TruTV. If you haven't tuned into this network before, look for it on Comcast 65/841, DirecTV 246, DISH 242/9430, FiOS 183/683.

Summer 2014 TCA: WGN America's Manhattan

WGN America is a network that not everyone knows about (not every television provider carries it), and has only one original series to date: Salem. Today they presented their next original series, Manhattan, which takes place in the 1940s and premieres later this month. And, not only is it a period show, it's also set in a very specific place: Los Alamos, New Mexico, at the dawn of the age of the atomic bomb.

A town not even on the map is suddenly full of great minds filled with secrets and lies at every turn. Little by little, audiences will learn of the darkness behind the "nuclear family," as EP Thomas Schlamme noted that the approach to the series was more as if they "were making a 13-hour movie," without needing to front-load the viewer with cliffhangers. But, at the same time, the drama may certainly last longer, as creator Sam Shaw doesn't see the series necessarily wrapping up with the end of World War II because "it's a story about a birth of an era." Add in the fact that everything they've done so far they've made without the help of the US government (who undoubtedly would have specific source material for such a show), and I think there's some real possibilities ahead.

Although this "story of incredible ingenuity and aspiration and high-flown optimism" (Shaw) seems full of action, there will definitely be more sober moments in the program. For instance, antisemitism will be "very present" in the show, as "a lot of the characters are Jewish and are in some way being used by a country that didn't really trust them and have a place for them." Similarly, the effects of radiation were also hinted at being explored in the drama.

Fortunately, Shaw also added that "it is set in a world that is really carefully researched and we make painstaking efforts to be as faithful to history and science as we possibly can be," so history buffs need not be fearful of desecration to an important American story.

Watch for Manhattan to premiere on WGN America (ch 33/775 for Xfinity folks) on Sunday, July 27th at 9pm ET. 

Summer 2014 TCA: Going Deep with David Rees

National Geographic Channels always brings the best of the best of their programming to the summer tour, and today was no different. Eight presentations in under three hours results in various reactions in this crowd, but NatGeo pulled through. One of their features begins next week, and it's definitely different.

National Geographic Channels/Joey L

Going Deep with David Rees is an interesting title for the series, as each episode will "navigate the whys, hows, and what-ifs of everyday experiences," which certainly doesn't seem to lend itself to a deep program. However, it does have a strangely captivating angle anyway, with David teaching viewers everything from tying symmetrical shoelace knots to freezing the perfect ice cube for beverages to how to light a match. It may seem simplistic and eye-roll-inducing, but Rees demonstrated a methodology behind folding and flying a paper airplane. It involved deep creases using a popsicle stick as if it was a bone. If that doesn't convince you that there are different perspectives on how to do everything, I don't know what would. I struggled to follow along, so I can only imagine how baffled I may be as to how swatting a fly is supposed to work. 

Rees has a bit of an odd sense of humor (just take a look at the quote in his photo above), but his list of accolades includes comedian, writer, entrepreneur, and DJ, so one might expect him to be a bit eclectic. I mean, he has a best-selling 200-page book called How to Sharpen Pencils, complete with illustrations. I'm curious as to the topic of his next published work.

Tune in to NGC Monday, July 14th at 10pm, and prepare to feel idiotic about how you have been doing things your whole life!

Summer 2014 TCA: Young Marvels

The Summer Press Tour is now underway, and we've had some NatGeo WILD and Nielsen information so far, but the first specific program being promoted comes from Ovation, and premieres next week. Young Marvels follows eight prodigies in different areas of the arts. Not only will the program showcase their amazing talents, but it will also look at how they balance their duties to school, family, and friends.

I was eleven when I began playing the violin. I played regularly (1-2 hours/day) for seven years, until I went to college. At one point in high school I requested information from Oberlin with the intention of majoring in music performance, and it was only through playing the violin in a pit orchestra that I realized my true passion was in theatre. But, I was never as good as Charlie, who played a short snippet of a cello piece for the journalists.

Charlie, age 12, began playing the cello at 4, and it was an instrument his father chose for him. His older brother plays the violin, and his younger brother plays the piano. The older two boys study at Juilliard, and their father and grandfather are also accomplished musicians. He first realized he was distinctly talents in this area when he was eight, as his emotions began coming out in his playing and he was making strides in technique. One particular to thing to watch for in Charlie's story is the fact that he's both Charles, the serious cellist, and Charlie, the class clown.

Mae Ya, also 12, is a soul singer. She studies at Chicago's Merit School of Music, and had a very different path to music than Charlie. Mae Ya began playing the piano, and when she asked her mother for voice lessons at age 7, her mother was hesitant, having not heard her daughter sing much at home. A year later she began her vocal coaching, and a year after that she was singing for crowds. Her voice is strong and powerful, and the young lady mentioned that she's always sounded like a grown woman, though her voice was much softer just a few years ago. She hopes to become famous and sing for millions of people.

Other featured marvels include an opera singer, a modern dancer, a male ballet dancer, a ballroom dancer, a polgot (8 languages!), and a pianist/organist. I know I'll be checking out the series, and am willing to bet it'll be well worth it - check it out on Ovation premiering July 16th at 10 ET/7 PT.

The 2014 FOX Fanfront Event

Today, as I was already in New York, I attended the FOX Fanfront. It's similar to the official Upfront presentation because it takes place a little earlier/at the same time, is held adjacent to the Beacon Theater where the advertisers and press journalists were watching, and showcased much of the same talent.

Jonathan Bredemeyer

But, it's also a very different experience. Rather than a cushy theater, you're under a tent in the heat.

Jonathan Bredemeyer

Jonathan Bredemeyer

The bulk of the time, it's just the "red carpet" portion before any event - actors answer questions for reporters as they make their way in, cast by cast. But, it's 2014, so each celebrity was encouraged to tweet about being there, and they were also taking selfies with audience members and signing autographs for the fans. There were a few special presentations, including a three-song concert performed by American Idol contestant Jessica Meuse (who came in 4th in the currently-running season).

Jonathan Bredemeyer

Jonathan Bredemeyer

Then, another triple treat from Glee's Darren Criss. 

Jonathan Bredemeyer

Pitbull was also around, and although we cheered for him, it seems he just went straight to the "real" event. Honestly, the best pre-event part was actually watching an episode of Riot, which was really pretty amusing. But, more on that another time.

If you weren't in the first couple of rows, or even in the first section of bleachers (which was mainly filled with those who camped out overnight or were waiting since at least 6:30am), you couldn't really interact with the talent, nor even see them that well, as FOX wasn't utilizing their screens to help others see what was going on in the very warm room. At least we were kept happy with bottled water and snacks, including a soft pretzel that was just perfect. Others were busy going gaga over the various actors coming in...

Jonathan Bredemeyer

Jonathan Bredemeyer

Jonathan Bredemeyer

Jonathan Bredemeyer

Jonathan Bredemeyer

Jonathan Bredemeyer

One surprising negative was that the room didn't even quiet down when trailers for the new series were shown. Now, I'm more of a Marvel fan than DC, but I would have appreciated being able to hear the Gotham trailer. A plus, though, is that this is the second time FOX has let the public attend such an event - the Upfronts are so advertiser-focused that TCA members don't even get invitations. Actually, I'm kinda intrigued with how a single journalist might cover the Upfronts when two networks present on the same day, as this morning's NBC presentation was at the Javits Center was two miles from the Beacon. In LA you just drive it, but in NYC, that's either a multiple-subway trip, a 40-minute walk, or a cab ride that could potentially take 15 minutes, given how traffic seemed this morning. But, I digress. All in all, it was interesting to attend, and I'm glad I have some pictures to share with all of you. I mean, where else would you see this guy?

Jonathan Bredemeyer

Jonathan Bredemeyer

We'll actually weigh in on the new series of FOX and the other broadcast networks in the near future, so look forward to that as well.

Oh, and a random bonus shot... walking back to the hotel we came across this taking place...

Jonathan Bredemeyer

Fun Friday: Crossbones is Coming!

Crossbones may be the most anticipated NBC series of the year, partly because it has been in development for a very long time (it was announced in May 2012 and our first post about the period drama was in June 2012!). Other major draws include John Malkovich playing Blackbeard, the success of pirate franchises in recent years, and the promise of unique costumes and jargon in a mainstream network series. The setting of 1715 Bahamas

Well, the long-awaited series will debut on Friday, May 30th, at 9pm, with ten episodes scheduled. To tide you over until then, check out these new photos of the characters (all credited to Sandro/NBC) just released!

John Malkovich as Blackbeard

Yasmine Al Massri as Selima El Sharad

Tracy Ifeachor as Nenna

David Hoflin as Charles Vane

Chris Perfetti as Fletch

Richard Coyle as Tom Lowe

Claire Foy as Kate

group shot

what do you think? will Crossbones live up to the hype? or has the hype been forgotten at this point?